Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-06-05

got to take with them when they ex-
banded in size, and they were called
"Heart 's-ease." Ladies Delight, "
and "Johnny-jump-ups."
Then there were the feather peoples,
white and red, the petals of which were
dried and put away in quilted bags, to
be dipped in hot water to allay pain or
induce sleep; and the little single pop
pies that were known as AFRICAN
roses" and made such delightful dol
lies, with the petalsturned back around
the stem for skirts and tied with a strip
of ribbon. grass, for finding two blades
of which exactly alike We were to have
cur wish.
FLOWERS LOVED BY THE CHILD.
Lilium Auratum had not left Japan.
but we had the white day-lily and the
orange and sweet-scented yellow va
rieties. They were lilies to us then,
although the botanists tell us now that
they are rot lilies at all, but funaias.
The tiger lilies were taere, too, and the
tall white ones like those in the pic
lures of the Annunciation. They never
seemed like common flowers to pick
and carry to school or to put in the
doll -house.
The white and pink and purple
morning glories climbed over the back
porch. They were probably conyolyo-
lus and major just the same as they are
now, but we didn't know it; but We
dld know that the withered blossoms
made good balloons as long as we kept
blowing them, and if they cracked there
were always plenty more. Nasturtinm
major was only Of two cOlOrs-Orange
aud yellow-and it trliled over the
ground at its own sweet will, and We
called it "sturtion." Mignonette was
neither white nor mammoth, but was
always fragrant.
NAA-Ts DEAR TO MEMORY.
The Persian lilac grew in the corner
and the syringa bush was not far Oft
the tail single hollyhocks ranged them
selves down the fence, and in the far
corner the sunhowers stretched them
selves up to look over into the next
yard.
TIE balsams of to-day were Ladies
Slippers" then, and were OF modest
Dimensions the "Sweet Peas )" were
all pink and white. They never went
we'll with any other flowers neither
did Ragged Sailors" now known Is
cCntaurias.
The annual chrysanthemums are
made much Of now, but our mothers
had two sorts Of the same plant-one
yellow and one white-and they called
them Artemesias." Butter-and-
Egg" had not been driven ont by
autirrhinum, but held up its yellow
spikes in its own corner It was great
fun to pinch its ears to make lis mouth
open. Just as it was to point a cautious
forcfnger at the pale green pods of
"Ladies' Slipper" when, if they were
in Just the right state OF ripencss, they
would curl up and the brown seeds
would fly out at us.
BLOSSOMS FULL or FANcIEs.
English Mary" wasa sturdy orange
blossom. indissolubly connected in orr
minds with Simple Susan and
her mutton broth, but which now
blossoms out as calcndala meteor,
large and splendid. London Pride
was blaze of scarlet in midsummer,
and we children liked that other name
for it, Soldier on the Green we
could see the whole scarlet-cOated
British army in that And now
they tell us that % London Pride
is modest little pink spring bios
som unknown here, and our old-time
fayOrite is WchniS chGtcedOnica
verify, times have changed. But what
Was that other spiky clump of green
sith insignificant yellowish blossoms,
which We gathered for green to our
nosepays, and called Jacobs Lad
der - And that other broad, light
green leaf, with its odor OF spearmint,
which grew beside the ri6bon-grass,
and which we crumpled up in our little
hot handsand called Smelling Leaf ?
LOWERS We HAVE NO MORE.
How long is it since You have seen a
clump of pink yarrow? Or spider
lily more blue than summer skies?
What has become of all the " Pride-of-
the Meadow" creamy white and peach
blow pink, this last like the most
lovely waving ostrich plumes -? The
tiny crimson purple corn flag, or
hardy gladiolus, is rarity now, but it
was lovely thing. And whose gar
den has bergamot, and crimson
balm beloved of bees ? And yell
low saffron? And now they tell
us that real saffron grows abroad with
purple blossoms, and only the yellow
anthers are the saffron of commerce.
Go to the pretty yellow blooms our
mothers plucked in the garden brought
out our measles as effectually as if they
had crossed the ocean. Never tell Us
that the measles would have come out
of themselves. The traditions of our
childhood are not to be overturned in
that way. Why does not some florist
revive that old-fashioned hardy plant
known to our mothers as "Par-
rot Daisy" and to our grandmothers
as painted Saucer" 1t is one of
the sunniest and most cheerful of
flowers, and goes about its business of
lul uISuluR du dOuuutnCC VI lONCly
golden blooms from earliest summer
until after the first frosts are over in an
honest everyday fashion that does
ones heart good to see in these days of
petted exotics. The stems are long
and graceful, and the airy blossoms
dance and nod in the early morning as
if for very joy at being alive, along
with the little children who run out to
pluck them.
THEY HAD FAITH IL THOSE DAYS.
Were not those old gardens far easier
to take care of than the modern ones
Ii does not seem to me that we heard
very much about "sunny exposure
for this and "partial shade" for that.
The contents Of the little brown papers
went straight into the warm soil, with
ont Intervention of shot bed" or
p" cold frame, with comfortable faith |
that in due time they would appear
and make the garden gay. And mean
while there was always something in |
bloom TO cut and give away or bring |
into the house. The yellow jonquils